System and methodology of coordinated collaboration among users and groups

• US 8,692,099 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bama Gaming LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bassilic Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Sitrick, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): FLETCHER, MARLON T
• Application Number:
  US11/982,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20080060499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,350 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 84/477.R
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/002 Electrically operated systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/023 Electrically operated
• CPC Class Codes: G10G 1/00 Means for the representation of music
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/015 Musical staff, tablature or score displays, e.g. for score reading during a performance

Abstract

A musical workstation system produces a display presentation in one of a musical composition responsive to musical composition data and responsive to one or both of input variables and a selected operating mode. The system is comprised of (1) means to provide the musical composition data (such as local storage (ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, hard disk etc.), or via a communications interface to an external device (such as another music workstation, a master controller, a computer), a memory, a selection subsystem, a controller, and a display subsystem. The memory selectively stores the received original musical compositions. The selection subsystem determines a selected operating mode and display format. The controller, responsive to the selection subsystem, provides means for selectively controlling the storing of the musical composition data in memory and selectively processing (e.g. altering) the stored musical composition data responsive to the selected operating mode and the input variables to produce a particular one of a plurality of processed results, such as external communications, operating, mode, transformation to derivative musical compositions, etc. The music workstation can coordinate communications, or be a slave device, with one or more external devices, such as other music workstations, a master workstation, a controller, etc. The display system provides for selection of original compositions, creation of derivative compositions, distribution of compositions, monitoring of each performer'"'"'s performance, group virtual performances, and also allows for local and distributed retrieval and editing of musical compositions.

Claims

1. A system for use by a plurality of users having different roles, the system providing a display presentation, comprising:

a plurality of workstations, each workstation comprising;

a communication interface configured to communicate with another one of the workstations;

memory configured to store image data;

an input device configured to receive input data related to a role of a user using the input device, the input data is used to specify a subset of the image data pertinent to the role of the user; and

a processing subsystem responsive to the memory for generating a display presentation output based at least in part upon the subset of the image data;

wherein the workstations are configured to share the image data and provide the display presentation for the user based upon the role of the user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the input device is configured to receive a user performance and generates user performance data concurrent to the local visual display presentation output.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the system is configured to obtain expected user performance data from the display presentation output, and compares the expected performance data to the user performance data and provides a display presentation output of differences between the expected user performance data and the user performance data.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the workstations include first and second workstations, further comprising:

combining logic responsive to the user performance data from the workstations, to provide a combined output of composite virtual performance data, the combining logic configured to synchronize and combine the user performance data from the first workstation to generate the composite virtual performance data and communicate the composite virtual performance data to the second workstation, at least one of the first and second workstations provides at least one of an audio display, a visual display, and an audiovisual display, representative of the combination of the user performance data of the workstations, responsive to the composite virtual performance data.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the image data is music data;

the input device is configured to receive changes to create modified music data; and

a first workstation communicates the modified music data to a second workstation, wherein the second workstation provides a local display presentation representative of a visual image of a selected musical composition along with the changes, responsive to the modified music data.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the workstations include first and second workstations, and the input data includes edit data, the edit data is distributed from the first work station to the second workstation, and wherein the second workstation provides a local video presentation of the image data and of the changes, responsive to the edit data.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the workstations are associated into subsets;

wherein each of the workstations is associated with at least one of the subsets; and

wherein the workstations in a defined subset share edit data and image data and provide a local display presentation responsive to the edit data and the image data.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the first workstation is a master that communicates edit data to the second workstation.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the master is configured for use by at least one of a conductor, band leader, teacher, manager, group leader, librarian, group member, and composer.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the input data includes edits to the visual image, the edits alter an aspect of the display presentation output.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the workstations are programmably restricted to prevent edits based on a defined level of permission.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second workstations communicate bi-directionally and in approximately real-time.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the input device is configured to receive edits from a user changing of a portion of the display presentation output.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the edits are at least one of an audio stimulus, an analog signal, digital data, a switch, a touch input device, motion sensor, motion capture data, and speech recognition.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the workstations include first and second workstations, and the image data further comprises type data;

the first workstation is programmed with an associated type so as to selectively communicate with the second workstation based upon the type data.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the type data relates to a type of musical instrument.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the first workstation further comprises a receiver that provides addressably selective communication responsive to the type data and the associated type for the first workstation.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the type data defines a specific user type, and at least one of the workstations is configured to respond to input directed to a specific user type, the input comprises at least one of preprogramming, a switch, an audio input, a direct line input, control data, user programming, and remote program control.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the subset of the image data is defined according to a role of the first workstation relative to the second workstation.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the workstations provide a musical display to a plurality of musicians in a musical performance group, and the role is a musical role.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication interface delivers the subset of image data to at least one subgroup of workstations according to the input data.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the first workstation is a master workstation configured to provide controlled addressable communications of the image data to the second workstation.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the master workstation is in communication with the plurality of workstations.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein the input data comprises at least one of audible performance data, visual performance data, electrical signals, digital data and control data.

25. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a source of video data representative of a video image;

the display presentation output comprises a display of the video image as a picture-in-picture within a portion of the display presentation output.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein the input device receives at least one of an audio performance, digital data, analog data, a switch, a touch input device, a motion sensor, vocal input, or speech input.

27. A method of communicating among a plurality of workstations, usable by a plurality of users, comprising:

receiving data at a first workstation related to a role of a first user and a second user;

displaying image data at the first workstation, the image data represents at least one visual image related to the role of the first user;

generating locally generated data related to the displayed image data, at least a portion of the locally generated data indicates a portion of the image data related to the role of the first user;

generating a first display presentation adjusted for the role of the first user and incorporating the image data and the locally generated data;

displaying the first display presentation at the first workstation; and

distributing the locally generated data from the first workstation to a second workstation, the second workstation being configured to generate a second display presentation based upon a role of at least one of the first and second users.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising generating user performance data from a user input provided substantially concurrent to displaying the image data.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising displaying a presentation of differences between an expected output of user performance data based upon the image data compared to the user performance data.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

combining user performance data from the plurality of workstations to provide composite virtual performance data;

wherein the combining comprises synchronizing the user performance data from the plurality of workstations to generate the composite virtual performance data;

communicating the composite virtual performance data to the second workstation; and

providing a local presentation of the composite virtual performance data at the second workstation in the form of at least one of an audio display, a visual display, and an audiovisual display.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the image data is music data;

the locally generated data comprises changes to create modified music data;

the method further comprising;

communicating the modified music data to the second workstation; and

displaying a local display presentation at the second workstation representative of the image data and the modified music data.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein the locally generated data comprises edit data, the method further comprising:

distributing the edit data to the second workstation, wherein the second workstation displays a local video presentation based at least in part upon the edit data and the image data.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the workstations are divided into defined subsets and the workstations in a defined subset distribute the edit data among the subset and a workstation in the defined subset displays a local display based upon the edit data.

34. A computer-readable storage medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method comprising:

storing an image for display to a plurality of users;

receiving an input from a first user and a second user related to a role of the first user and the second user;

receiving performance data input from the first user and the second user;

sharing among a plurality of display subsystems the role of the first user and the role of the second user, the performance data from the first user, and the performance data from the second user; and

displaying the image to the first and second user on the plurality of display subsystems, wherein the image displayed to the first user is modified according to the role of the first user and the role of the second user, and according to the performance data of the first user and the performance data of the second user.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

processing the performance data of each of the plurality of display subsystems to create discrete time samples;

synchronizing the discrete time samples;

combining the synchronized discrete time samples into combined virtual user data;

distributing the combined virtual user data to create a local presentation comprised of at least one of an audio presentation, a visual presentation, and an audiovisual presentation, based at least in part upon the combined virtual user data; and

displaying the local presentation on at least one of the plurality of display subsystems.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the local presentation is representative of notation for a user performance, comprising at least one of musical notation conveying performance information to the user and non-musical notation conveying performance information to the user.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein the display subsystems are individual music workstations, and wherein the combined virtual user data represents combined individual musical performances.

38. A system comprising:

a first subsystem comprising;

memory configured to store and retrieve display data utilized to generate a visual representation of an image;

a communications subsystem providing an interface for communication of data for storage in and retrieval from the memory;

an input apparatus configured to receive user input that comprises changes to portions of the visual display presentation, the user input being related to a role of the user, wherein the user input is used to create a modified visual display presentation according to the changes and the role of the user, and wherein the user input is stored in the memory;

a processing subsystem coupled to the memory and configured to process at least one of the display data and the user input to provide presentation data;

a presentation apparatus providing a visual display presentation of a visual image responsive to the presentation data and corresponding to the display data and to the user input;

a communications interface configured to communicate with a second subsystem;

wherein the second subsystem is configured to provide a visual display presentation of the modified visual display presentation responsive to the communications interface.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the processing subsystem provides a sequencing of a plurality of sub-portions of the visual display presentation responsive to the user input.

40. The system of claim 38 wherein the input apparatus comprises at least one of a touch-screen video display, a hands-free interface, a footswitch, an instrument input, a keyboard, a mouse, an audio input, a source of an analog signal, a source of a digital data, a switch, a touch input device, a motion sensor, a source of motion capture data, and a microphone.

41. The system of claim 38 wherein the first and second subsystems are physically located at different locations,

wherein the subsystems are configured to integrate simultaneous user input as provided from the different locations of the subsystems, into a combined data, wherein the first subsystem provides accepting of the respective input data from the second subsystem;

wherein the first and second subsystems are configured to process the input data into respective discrete time samples;

wherein the first subsystem is configured to provide communication of its respective discrete time samples to the second subsystem;

wherein the first subsystem is configured to synchronize the respective discrete time samples communicated from the second subsystem to provide synchronized communicated time samples;

wherein the first and second subsystems are configured to combine of the synchronized communication time samples into combined virtual data; and

wherein the first and second subsystems are configured to provide a presentation of a display presentation responsive to the combined virtual data.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein the first display subsystem is configured to provide a common time reference signal and utilize the common time reference signal to synchronize the discrete time samples from the first and second subsystems.

43. The system of claim 38 wherein the input apparatus provides multiple different signals, wherein the visual display presentation changes over time to display each respective one of a plurality of locations, wherein the multiple different signals provide control of movement of the visual display presentation as among and within the plurality of locations to provide at least one of forward movement to a respective one of the plurality of locations, backward movement to a respective one of the plurality of locations, and movement to a marked location of a respective one of the plurality of locations.

44. The system of claim 38 wherein the second subsystem is configured to provide controlled addressable communications for selectively receiving the user input.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the addressable communications of the user input is selectably addressable to defined subgroups of defined subsystems;

and wherein the addressable communications is configured to provide a mapping to the subsystems within each of the subgroups.